'Just not confident': IAF chief's strong words for HAL over Tejas Mk-1A delivery

Chief of Air Ataff Air Chief Marshal A P Singh and Army Chief Upendra Dwivedi watch the fly-past during the inauguration of the 15th edition of Aero India 2025 at Yelahanka Airbase in Bengaluru, Karnataka, Monday. Credit: PTI Photo

Indian Air Force chief Air Chief Marshal A P Singh has pulled up the state-owned Hindustan Aeronautics Limited for its poor track record on timely delivery of the aircraft, blaming the agency for not being in the “mission mode”.

Expressing displeasure over HAL's failure to ensure timely deliveries of the Tejas Mk1A fighter jet, Singh, while inspecting an aircraft at the air show on Monday was heard telling officials of HAL that he had "no confidence" in the state-owned aerospace company.

“I can only tell you our requirements and what our worries are. You have to alleviate those worries and make us more confident. At the moment, I am just not confident of HAL, which is a very very wrong thing to happen,” Air Chief Marshal Singh told the top brass of the company.

“HAL is our own company. We all have worked there. I have worked there. I have also served in HAL as a temporary pilot and, of course, very closely at NFTC (National Flight Test Centre). But I find that we are just not in mission mode. Everything is 'ho jayega,” he said.

"I was promised that when I come here in February, we will have 11 Mk1As ready minus the engine. And not a single is ready yet... mazaa nai aa raha hai yaar [not liking it]," ACM Singh says, with a HAL official later commenting that the officer's remarks have been "duly noted".